Chapter 39: Soaked

Delong Plaza, located a few kilometers away from his rental apartment.

It was 1:30 PM, and since it wasn't a holiday, the mall wasn't crowded. It was a perfect environment for someone like Chen Feng, who didn't particularly enjoy crowds, to go on a shopping spree.

He started on the first floor in the luxury watch section. He only glanced around briefly, but one particular watch caught his eye—an octagonal design. He tried it on, decided it looked good, and bought it for 210,000 yuan without even blinking.

This was perhaps the confidence that comes with wealth.

In the past, he wouldn't have even wanted to walk past a luxury watch store like this.

The second floor was women's clothing; he ignored it.

The third floor was men's clothing. He went from shop to shop, found something he liked, tried it on, checked the fit, and paid.

After browsing through a dozen or so stores, he had bought himself over ten sets of clothes and three sets of underwear.

Carrying so many items made it difficult to continue shopping, so Chen Feng went down to the underground parking lot first to put everything in his car before returning to continue his spree.

On the fourth floor, in the shoes and bags section, he bought two pairs of shoes each from Guess and Three Squirrels, along with two pairs of crocodile leather shoes, a dozen pairs of socks, and a dozen pairs of underwear.

He also spent nearly 20,000 yuan on a Longchamp briefcase, which was comfortable both to carry by the handle and to wear as a shoulder bag.

The fifth floor housed digital electronics and optical shops. Chen Feng had mild myopia and could wear glasses, so he went to an optical shop. After a detailed measurement, he spent over 10,000 yuan on a pair of glasses. They felt great once he put them on.

The sixth floor was for restaurants, arcades, and beauty salons; he ignored it entirely.

The seventh floor was KTV, which he ignored. The eighth floor was a food court, which was quite nice. He wandered around and tried some snacks from various parts of the country; though the taste was average, it was a novel experience.

The ninth floor was for administrative offices, so there was nothing to see there. After resting for a while, he decided to head out.

Carrying his large bags and small parcels, he intended to take the elevator down to the underground parking lot.

Just as the doors were about to close, a woman ran up hurriedly, calling out for him to wait.

Chen Feng had no choice but to press the open button and wait for her to enter.

The woman looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. She wore exquisite makeup and professional attire, and she was quite attractive. She jogged into the elevator, gave Chen Feng a small smile and a nod, and said, "Thank you."

Chen Feng ignored her.

The woman didn't mind his cold attitude. Still smiling, she said, "Sir, I am a sales assistant from the Saint Feis clothing store on the third floor. You bought two sets of clothes at our shop, and I personally packed them for you."

Hearing this, Chen Feng took a closer look at her and realized she was telling the truth. He gave her a nod as a form of acknowledgment.

"Sir, it's rare to see someone buy so many clothes at once. You aren't buying them for someone else, are you?"

Chen Feng thought to himself, *You really have too much free time. What does it matter to you how many clothes I buy?*

However, out of basic social politeness, he replied, "No, they are all for myself."

"Ah, then you are truly wealthy, haha," the salesgirl said, covering her mouth with a laugh.

*Ding!*

The elevator paused on the fourth floor, and a middle-aged woman entered.

As the elevator resumed its movement, the salesgirl reached her hand out directly toward Chen Feng. "My name is Sun Xiaorui. May I ask how to address you, sir?"

This scene left the middle-aged woman beside them stunned. She looked at the beautiful salesgirl in surprise, then at Chen Feng, but couldn't see anything about him that made him exceptionally handsome. However, she did see the large bags in both of his hands and immediately understood the situation.

She couldn't help but lament in her heart that young girls these days were far too materialistic and money-hungry.

At this moment, Chen Feng could also tell that this beautiful salesgirl was hitting on him.

She really was!

"Chen Feng," he said, not being coy, and gave his name directly. He reached out and took her small hand; it was very soft.

He took another careful look at the woman. Wearing high heels, she came up to about his ear level. He was about 178 cm tall, so he estimated her height to be around 165 cm.

She had great proportions, a curvaceous figure, and fair skin. Most importantly, she was quite good-looking, with clear, lively eyes.

She was a woman who was very good at reading people and had an outgoing personality.

Chen Feng did not pull his hand away immediately. Sun Xiaorui gave a slight tug but didn't break free; instead, she looked at him with a flushed face and a faint smile.

*Ding!*

The elevator reached the second basement level.

The middle-aged woman was the first to step out quickly, casting a disdainful glance back at the two of them.

Only then did Chen Feng release her hand, smiling slightly. "How about we go for a drive together?"

Sun Xiaorui didn't act shy. She nodded gracefully and said, "Sure. I've already taken time off work anyway."

Chen Feng couldn't help but smile; she really had come for him.

Thus, the two of them walked over to Chen Feng's vehicle.

Seeing that Chen Feng drove a large Buick, Sun Xiaorui showed no sign of disappointment.

This part satisfied Chen Feng quite a bit. Regardless of whether she was after his money, at least her outward performance was decent.

The car started, and they exited Delong Plaza. Turning onto the main road, Chen Feng didn't ask for her opinion and drove straight to a nearby lakeside embankment.

The scenery here was picturesque, and the embankment was perfect for walking, running, or cycling. Many couples and families with children came here to enjoy themselves.

Chen Feng bought drinks for both of them at a small convenience store, and they walked and chatted while drinking.

They started with casual conversation about the weather and their respective jobs. Chen Feng mentioned he was currently unemployed and didn't want to work for the time being, while Sun Xiaorui said she wanted to change jobs and ideally open her own clothing store.

After chatting for over half an hour, the two sat down on an outdoor bench.

"I just got divorced. I have no intention of looking for a girlfriend for the time being."

After a period of tentative mutual exploration, Chen Feng decided to go deeper to avoid wasting each other's time.

"That's quite a coincidence. I also just broke up with my boyfriend," Sun Xiaorui responded with a smile.

Chen Feng smiled as well and said directly, "How about this: you can stay with me for the time being. I'll give you 30,000 yuan a month in pocket money. If you want to leave, you can do so at any time. If I want you to leave, I will notify you in advance and give you an extra 100,000 yuan."

This time, Sun Xiaorui lost her composure. Her expression stiffened visibly, and it took a long moment before she slowly exhaled and said, "Fifty thousand. Fifty thousand a month, and I'll resign immediately to serve you exclusively."

Chen Feng stared at her for a moment before nodding slightly. "Fine. Let's go with fifty thousand. But just for one month first. If we get along, we'll continue. If I feel it's not working out, I'll give you an extra 10,000 so we can part on good terms. Is that okay?"

"Deal!"

Sun Xiaorui uttered the word with somewhat suppressed emotions.

"Agreement reached. Pleasure doing business with you," Chen Feng said, smiling as he extended his hand to her.

Sun Xiaorui was stunned for a moment, then squeezed out a smile and reached out to shake his hand.

This time, Chen Feng did not let go of her hand, and she did not struggle; she allowed herself to be led by him quite naturally.

Chen Feng was not in a rush. He simply held her hand and continued strolling around for another half hour before they left.

Sun Xiaorui was truly an unexpected turn of events for him. He had never intended to find a woman through this kind of arrangement. But since Sun Xiaorui had delivered herself to his door, Chen Feng naturally wouldn't refuse.

This arrangement perfectly solved Chen Feng's current dilemma.

In the limited time he had left, he didn't want to get a girlfriend and end up hurting her, nor did he want to die alone in misery.

At the same time, it would prevent him from repeating the mistake of seeking out female technicians at hotels.

Having a paid mistress to accompany him through his final days perfectly resolved this trouble.

For Chen Feng, he was paying her, so he owed her nothing and wouldn't harm her. For her, Chen Feng was providing a very high compensation, so she wouldn't feel wronged.

As long as they got along well, Chen Feng certainly wouldn't mistreat her.